Browning meditated during shocking Sleeping Beauty scenes

The Aussie star plays the dozing princess in a new indie re-telling of the traditional fairytale, which is aimed firmly at the adult market.

Browning reveals her character is left naked and sedated with several older men in some disturbing scenes - and she had to close off her mind to make sure she wasn't left scarred by the experience.

Promoting the film at the Cannes Film Festival, the Sucker Punch star says, "I didn't become as disturbed during those scenes in the sleeping chamber as you might imagine, because I kind of taught myself to meditate through those scenes.

"I wasn't present in those scenes at all, so they didn't really have as much of an effect on me as I thought they might have."

The 22 year old, who made it big as a teen opposite Jim Carrey in Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events, admits her Sleeping Beauty will shock many film fans.

She adds, "She (character) falls into this bizarre area of prostitution, where she is willingly drugged. It's very, very heavy."

And she had to call on her meditation skills to block out fear and nerves before her nude scenes in the film: "I remember I was nervous before the first nude scene, and then as soon as the camera's on, you're in another place - it's not scary."